The Conversation: Give in to pester power?

Article in The Conversation, co-authored by Kathy Chapman, Director Health Strategies, Cancer Council NSW & PhD student at University of Sydney; Erica James, Associate Professor, School of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Newcastle; and Sarah Campbell from the University of Newcastle’s School of Psychology.

While we think of junk food marketing as something that happens during television commercial breaks or on massive billboard signs, supermarkets are yet another advertising frontier for food companies.

There are myriad techniques that entice shoppers and appeal to children when visiting the supermarket: promotional signs at eye level, confectionery within easy reach at the checkout, and colourful packages with cute characters and movie tie-ins. And it’s usually well-known food companies with big advertising budgets that can afford to market this way.

Because these marketing techniques occur at the point of sale, there’s a much stronger chance they’ll lead to a successful sale than if a child sees an advertisement for junk food in their own home.

Currently, almost a quarter of Australian children are overweight or obese, and a high proportion of them will grow up to be overweight or obese adults. Given that 63% of Australian adults are already overweight or obese, it’s alarming that future generations are heading into adulthood at a higher risk of developing obesity-related illnesses.